China’s Xi Rallies Business Leaders in Rare Meeting

An analyst said the CCP is constantly seeking a new balance between achieving economic development and maintaining communist rule in China.

A giant screen shows news footage of Deepseek founder Liang Wenfeng and Tencent's Pony Ma attending a symposium on private enterprises, at a shopping complex in Beijing on Feb. 17, 2025. Florence Lo/Reuters

Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a rare meeting with the country’s top business leaders on Monday in an attempt to boost the confidence of China’s private sector amid the economic slowdown.

In a symbolic move, Jack Ma, cofounder of the conglomerate Alibaba Group, was invited to the symposium. Ma maintained a low profile since 2020 after Alibaba became one of Beijing’s biggest targets in its private sector crackdown.